Blog posts about our travels in France
Below is a collection of blog posts about our travels in France.
Posts include visiting Paris, Eze, Saint Paul de Vence, driving in France, Cassis, and Arles.
Quick Guide for visitors to France
Currency: The currency in France is the Euro. 1 USD is equivalent to about 0.93 EUR. Since both currencies are nearly equivalent this makes it easy to compare prices.
Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted. American Express is also accepted but be sure to also have a Visa or Mastercard since their acceptance is much wider.
Language: Of course the official language in France is French. English is very widely spoken, especially in areas that tourists tend to visit. Signs are often in English or utilize easy-to-understand symbols.
Learning a few basic French phrases will go a long way. Most French citizens appreciate your effort even though their English is probably much better than your French.
Plugs: The plugs in France are Type C and E and the standard voltage is 230 V. Many hotels have USB-style outlets for charging cell phones.
Traveling by train: SNCF operates runs the extensive rail transport system in France. It is very easy to travel between major cities via rail, much of it “high speed”. The “high-speed” French network is not as high speed as countries such as Spain but much, much better than Amtrak.
We suggest using Trainline to book your European rail tickets. We use it all the time, the website and app are very easy to use.
Traveling by public transportation: All the major cities like Paris, Lyon, Nice, Marseille and have an extensive Metro or tram systems in addition to bus networks. They are a bit slower to adapt to Tap-to-Pay but many systems will accept tap.
Driving in France: The French drive on the right-hand side of the road, making it much easier for Americans.
We wrote a whole blog post about driving in France: Tips for driving while visiting France
Cell phone usage in France: Cell phone coverage is available nearly everywhere. We have used an e-Sim from Airelo in numerous countries including France. It’s simple to use and easy to top off if you need additional data. More info here.
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